


Saving Elizabeth

by artemisfae



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-09
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-22 00:02:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3707993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artemisfae/pseuds/artemisfae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post S2Ep18. Red is in the hospital when his life is endangered. Liz saves him, but puts herself in more danger than she ever could imagine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Director

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimed: I own nothing and make no money.  
> This just popped into my head and after finishing the first couple of chapters I had to post.

Raymond Reddington had been cooped up in this god forsaken hospital bed for a week now.

It didn’t matter that it was a tiny hospital in the country. It didn’t matter that it was the best money could buy and still leave him close enough to see Lizzie.

He was ready to get the hell out of here. 

However, he could not regret being shot, because it brought Lizzie closer to him. 

So much closer than he could have ever hoped. 

Every day she came to visit. She’d come bearing a little gift of some sort, whether it be a book, a small bag of chocolates, or the daily crossword and she would stay for hours.

He already cared for her, but those days of seeing her small smiles, joking with him, being so utterly unguarded caused him to fall hopelessly in love with her. 

He told her that she didn’t need to stay, but she insisted that she was exactly where she wanted to be.

In truth, he was relieved. If she were with him, he could better keep an eye on her. 

She was with him when he was shot. He suffered no disillusions that they would hesitate before harming her, just because she was a federal officer. 

He was close enough to being out of here that he could give Lizzie the next name tonight during her visit. He needed the next player in the game, fast.

“I called your bluff. As no news has hit the airwaves, I can confirm that you do not have the Fulcrum. I do so love being correct.”

Red turned his head towards the Director, who was standing just inside of his doorway. 

Furtively, he glanced at the clock on the wall. Lizzie would be here anytime. 

This was the absolute worst case scenario. Lizzie was a terrible actress.

As much pleasure as he took in her caring for him, she couldn’t hide it worth a damn. 

If the Director saw that they had any other relationship than FBI Agent and Informant, he would order her death. 

He would never let that happen.

“Well hello. I do hope that you didn’t bring flowers. This time of year, my sinuses are uncontrollable when faced with florals of any kind.”

The Director smirked. “No, no flowers, but I do have a small gift. I don’t think you’ll appreciate it either way, but then again, it’s more of a gift for me rather than you.”

In the Director’s hand was a syringe. Red knew he wasn’t here to help the nurses manage his pain. 

His bed, was too far from the IV port. 

His range of motion was nowhere near what it needed to be for him to prevent that syringe from killing him as it’s intended to.

“If you kill me, every single secret that you’ve tried to hide will be exposed. You will soon find yourself not just running from those that will avenge me, but those who want   
vengeance in the name of their loved ones whose deaths you have brought about during your career.”

The Director wasn’t swayed. He moved closer to Red, uncapping the needle. 

The bastard even took the time to express the air bubbles from the syringe. Like he’d need to worry about dying from an air bubble to the blood stream at this point. 

He laughed, stopping the Director, who was surprised and a little put out that Red wasn’t pleading for his life. 

Even if he could get the layers upon layers of bandages ripped off in time to remove the IV line from his arm, he would never be able to fight off an attack. 

If that needle stuck him anywhere, he was more than certain that it would be his pink slip out of this life.

“Where’s Dembe?” Red was worried that his friend may be injured since he wasn’t bursting through the door, demanding to know who his visitor is. 

“Oh him, he’s fine. He’s actually out there talking to Agent Keen. Little does he know that he will be the last person to speak to two dead people this evening.”

So the Cabal was cleaning the state. He was horrified for what was going to happen to Lizzie, but he had to keep his head. Think. If he stalled long enough, someone would come. 

They’d been in and out all damn day.

Where the hell were they now?

Red reached his emergency button just as the director tried to stab his neck. 

With only one usable arm, he grabbed the wrist holding the needle. 

He knew it was futile.

He shouted for help. 

Before he could finish, the door burst open.

 

It wasn’t Dembe looking down the barrel of a gun. It was his Lizzie. No. 

She took one look at them and pulled the trigger. 

No hesitation, just deadly intent.

She rushed to the bed, took the syringe from the falling man, and stabbed it into the Director for good measure. 

“Lizzie, no!” 

Tears were swimming in her eyes. She ran her hands all over his arms and neck, checking for injuries.

“God, Red, I’m so sorry. Did he hurt you? Did he stick you? I was just outside talking to Dembe. He left for a moment to use the restroom.”

Dembe, followed by four staff members and a doctor or two tripping all over each other, ran into the room. 

Dembe looked relieved, the others looked shocked.

Lizzie took out her FBI badge. It wouldn’t matter.

She would still be arrested for stabbing a suspect with an unknown substance after she had already neutralized him. 

Once the coroner pulled the ballistics and tied it to her weapon, it would be public record that Elizabeth Keen killed one of the most powerful men in the world.

Dembe came to his bedside and he motioned him closer so he could talk without anyone overhearing.

“If she doesn’t leave, she’s dead. Follow the protocols. Dembe, I’m trusting you with my life.”

Dembe knew that he wasn’t referring to his own life, but that of Agent Keen.

“I will take care of her, my brother. We’ll need a distraction.”

Dembe moved across the room to rush Lizzie out just as Red fell unconscious and his heart monitors went crazy.

tbc...


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liz is on the run and makes a realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read!   
> I own nothing, and make no money.

Chapter 2

Liz couldn’t believe what she just witnessed. What she just did. She killed a man.

Not just killed. Murdered. Her rage was so great at seeing Red threatened that she couldn’t help but make sure that his attacker was more than dead. She could rationalize it as protecting her asset, but in the eyes of the law, she murdered him. 

She couldn’t think of that now. Red’s monitors were beeping and Dembe was dragging her out of the room. 

She refused to move and tried to fight her way back to Red.

“No. Dembe, no, I have to go to him,” 

“Agent Keen, you need not worry about Raymond. I promise he is fine. I will explain later, when it is safe. You need to keep that gun out if we are going to get out of here alive. I need you to follow me. I can’t carry you and get you out of here at the same time.”

Dembe was always serious. His intensity now was a little frightening. She absolutely believed him. 

She had no reason not to.

She nodded her agreement and he quickly took the lead.

A left hand turn at the nurse’s station where he stopped to catch a nurse’s eye, and then down the corridor to the stairwell. 

They quietly opened the stairwell, Dembe led. 

He fired three shots in quick succession. 

By the time she followed, there were three bodies hitting the floor.

Neither of them had silencers. The sounds of Dembe’s firing was deafening. 

It couldn’t be helped, there were more men coming up the stairs. 

Dembe looked down to try and get a count. “Ten. We might make it.”

“Wow. That’s reassuring.” She hates that she gets sarcastic when she’s scared.

Dembe didn’t reply, just descended the stairs with a swiftness and stealth that would be unbelievable if she weren’t witnessing it firsthand. 

She didn’t even need to fire her gun once. 

Dembe took care of every single one of the men. He ran out of bullets before the last one fell. Liz raised her gun to take care of it, but she needn’t have worried. Dembe threw his gun at the man’s face, tackled the man to the ground and broke his neck. 

Dembe stood, breathing heavily, muscles heaving. “Um, wow again Dembe. You are a beast. That was crazy.”

He rolled his eyes at her, and motioned her through the last door to the parking garage and took her gun on the way. 

She followed closely behind, but it seemed that Dembe annihilated their enemies inside. No one was present here. 

When they reached the Mercedes, Dembe handed her gun back to her and rolled to the ground. 

“So, what’s with the stop, drop, and roll?”

“Explosives.”

“Aahhhh. Why didn’t I think of that?” Still sarcastic. She was scared out of her mind. Never had she been the hunted. The thought of some faction of people having it out for her was terrifying. 

He finished and before she knew it, they were on their way through the countryside. 

Dembe was on the phone immediately after exiting the hospital garage. 

All she could hear was one side of the conversations.

Mr. Kaplan was the first call. “You need to go to him. Smooth things over. He’ll want to be moved immediately. He’s not well enough to fly, but he won’t be able to stand being away from her. I know. You be careful. Good luck with the patient. Haha, I do have an easier job, be jealous.”

Next was the pilot, or whomever was in charge of the Jet. “Have them both gassed and ready. File a flight plan for one of them to Rome. The other? I’ll let you know when we arrive.”

“Dembe, I need to call Cooper. I need to let them know what happened. I killed a man. Leaving makes me look incredibly guilty.”

“You are guilty. You can’t call Cooper. In fact, I need your phone.”

She knew where this was going. With a sigh, she handed it over and could do nothing but watch as he broke it in half and rolled down his window to throw it away. 

“Agent Keen. Do you know who you killed tonight?”

“Someone that was trying to poison Red?”

“That too, but he is in charge of the group that had Red shot. He’s decided that Red was no longer a liability and sought to put him down. You killed one of the most influential men in the world.”

“Oh, fuck.”

“Oh fuck, indeed.”

“You need to drop me off at the airport and get back to Red. There’s probably other men there and they will try to kill him! You need to go to him.”

“Raymond has back-up protection in place until Mr. Kaplan and her team arrive. It will only take them 20 minutes or so. He will be fine. Our priority is you and the target you just had placed on your head.”

They drove the rest of the way to the jet in silence. Liz’s head was full of worry for Red and ‘what the fucks?!’ for her.

There were two jets gassed and taxied, awaiting further instruction. 

“Follow me, we need supplies.” was all Dembe said, so follow him she did. Right to a locked closet. Inside was a set of lockers. He opened three of them and pulled out 3 duffel   
bags, handing her one. 

They entered the smaller of the two jets. Dembe spoke with the Pilot, but it was too low for her to hear. 

Dembe sat down across the aisle from her. He looked absolutely unaffected by the evening’s events. 

She wished she had that problem. 

She couldn’t stop thinking about Red now that the danger had passed, at least in part.

They were getting so close. He was so honest and upfront about everything. 

He explained that he hired Tom to function as Ezra had. That Berlin had offered him more money to infiltrate every part of her life. 

She trusted him to tell her the truth. 

She was so emotionally attached to him and so attracted to him that she was afraid to label it for what it really was. She was falling in love with Raymond Reddington. 

 

Tbc…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red is protected until he leaves the hospital. Kaplan delivers bad news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read! You guys are the best readers!   
> Disclaimed: I own nothing and make no money.

Exactly two minutes after Lizzie and Dembe depart his hospital room, Red opens his eyes amid the chaos of Physicians and nurses scrambling to save him.

Meditating so that his heart slowed to a near stop was a trick he picked up from a brief stay at a monastery around a decade ago. 

 

That, combined with him unplugging the leads to his monitors helped him fake cardiac arrest. 

“Calm down, go about your business.” He tried to tell them that he was fine, but they weren’t listening.

“He. Said. Go.” The words were quiet, but no less menacing than if shouted. Everyone in the room froze. The charge nurse at the door moved to the side and everyone, even the   
physicians took the hint and left.

“Ah, Wendy my dear, how I have longed for your firm, no-nonsense touch.” He was grinning. Flirting with her was an old game. He only did so because he simply was not her type.

Her stern countenance transformed into a quick grin. “Raymond Reddington, you have been so well behaved, I’d hate to have to spank you. Your gorgeous Elizabeth might be   
slightly put out and I’d much rather have her smiles than frowns.”

“I had to provide a distraction. Are you staying?” 

She laughed. “I suppose ‘dying’ works just as well as the next method. I’ll only be here until Kate gets here. When she finds out what happened, you may very well still get that spanking.” 

Wendy was a field medic and sniper for the marines, until discharged for sleeping with her Commanding Officer’s wife to prove a point. She was beautiful and deadly. The very best of assets. 

“It’s unwise to speak of those not present.” Mr. Kaplan swept into the room as if she owned the place.

For someone of such small stature, her presence was a commanding, domineering one. Wendy laughed, walked by with a small nod of her head to Kaplan, and left. From behind, Red spotted a gun tucked into the back of her scrubs. I do so love a deadly woman. 

“Mr. Kaplan, how good of you to visit an old friend during his convalescence. I do believe that I need to find another, more hospitable location.”

“Already done, dearie, we’re moving you now.” She didn’t smile, but then again, she rarely ever did.

“I need to get to Ecuador. Arrange a chartered flight.” Raymond was so used to getting his way, that he just rose his eyebrows when he heard her reply of “That’s not going to happen for a few more weeks.”

He laughed. “I don’t think so. Arrange it now.”

She laid her hand on his shoulder with a sigh. “Raymond, you were shot in the lung. If you enter a pressurized cabin this soon, your lung will collapse. Since it is not yet healed, the stitches could tear and you will bleed out internally before you ever reach her. Is that what you want? To ship your dead body to Elizabeth Keen?”

She certainly isn’t pulling her punches. “Kate, we can travel by bus, by camper, I don’t care how we get there, but we need to go. This is life or death.”

“It most certainly is life or death. Yours. You cannot fly for at least another 2 weeks. We can’t drive across the border, you will be caught. The back roads that the coyotes take are too bumpy and dangerous while you are still this fragile…glare at me all you want. That is what I am here for. To think for you when you aren’t using the right brain.”

Before he could reply, Mr. Kaplan’s team leader came through the door. “Threat has been neutralized and we are ready to go.”

Mr. Kaplan went to Red’s side, took off the bandages and tape covering his IV line, placed gauze over the site, and pulled the line from his arm. 

“We need you mobile. I have shots for the trip. Wheel him out.” The last part was said to her team.

They rolled him out to a loading dock where a hearse was waiting for them.

Red laughed “I’m not quite to the point of needing one of those, yet.”

The team transferred him from his bulky bed to a stretcher. 

Mr. Kaplan squeezed his shoulder as she walked by him. “I think it fits our purpose just fine. If anyone is watching the roads, they will look for an ambulance, not a death cart.” 

*****

It took them a couple of hours to reach the safe house Mr. Kaplan had arranged for. 

They were just wheeling him into his designated bedroom when he heard Kate walking behind them. The click-clack of her heels unmistakable. She was on the phone, but was keeping her voice low.

Mr. Kaplan had just hung up her phone with a whispered “Oh, hell” when Red twisted around to see her. If Kaplan had a reason to swear, something was definitely wrong.

He grimaced with pain the movement caused.

“What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

She pulled out a syringe out of her infamous black bag, tapped the side, and stabbed him in the arm.

“Raymond, I’m only telling you this because you are about to be unconscious. I’m sorry, Raymond. Preliminary reports are coming in about a jet fitting the description of yours being shot down over the Gulf of Mexico. I hope to be wrong about this, but I will dig deeper into the matter and have answers for you when you wake up. It felt wrong to hide it, but you can’t afford the setback right now.”

In just an instant, his whole reason for living went down in flames and ashes. 

As he closed his eyes, a tear rolled down his face.

Tbc…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger! I do so love them though;) Let me know what you think.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie finds out where they are headed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long! RL is kicking my butt. I should have another update soon!   
> Disclaimed, nothing is mine.

Lizzie and Dembe had been on the plane for a few hours when the co-pilot came to Dembe and motioned him to speak privately. Just by the look on his face, Liz could tell there was a problem. 

“Dembe, you need to tell me what’s going on. Is it Red? He’s ok, right? Mr. Kaplan is taking care of him. You said he’d be fine!”

She was near hysterical thinking that something happened to Red and she wasn’t there to save him. 

Tears welled in her eyes, spilled over. The longer Dembe took to answer her, the more upset she became.

“Dembe!” 

He finally looked up from his chat with the co-pilot. His face was expressionless.

“Agent Keen, Raymond is fine as far as I know. I was trying to ascertain the entire situation before coming to you with it. I know how you need to have all of the answers. I wanted to have them before we spoke as to not have to bother the pilots again.”

Her relief was immediate. 

She dashed the tears from her eyes, relieved that Red was ok. She hated that she fell apart like that in front of Dembe. 

At first, she was upset that he would answer her like that, but when she thought about the events from today, he was more than justified.

He had to be uncomfortable being so far from Red. Leaving his protection to others.

He killed for her. He didn’t hesitate to protect her because he knew Red put her safety and well-being above all else. 

Her voicing her fears were probably compounding his own.

For a Board Certified Psychologist, it wouldn’t hurt her to be a little more attentive to the feelings of others.

She couldn’t help it. Her feelings for Red were raw, made her selfish. 

“I’m sorry Dembe. You are doing everything you can and I think you for that. I’m just..he’s hurt…and I don’t like being…away.”

 

Dembe’s face softened. They had more in common than he thought.

“Raymond should be fine. Mr. Kaplan is good. Her team is very skilled. I do think you should know that the other plane was shot down. Nothing is showing up on our radar, but   
that doesn’t mean that we are clear. Hopefully, they weren’t aware there were two planes. That was a last minute idea of mine.”

She had never head Dembe divulge so much information before.

“I am sorry that people had to lose their lives for us to get away, but I am not upset that we are all safe.”

He put a hand on her arm in comfort. “If you ask Raymond, he will tell you that no sacrifice is too large to keep you safe.”

And there go the tears again. “Oh, Dembe. I’m sure he’d say the same to you.”

She tried to smile, but her face just twisted into a grimace that was in no way smile-like. 

He didn’t do tears. Her tears? The tears of his brother’s love? They made him exponentially more anxious

“Try to get some rest, Agent Keen, we have a couple more hours before we reach our destination.” 

Nodding, she replied “I’ll try. But if I may ask, where are we going?”

“Ecuador.”

 

*****

Red came gradually to awareness. His room was opulent. King sized, four-poster hand carved bed, fireplace in the corner adorned with overstuffed chairs, and copious bookcases   
filled with reading materials. 

Why did his chest hurt? He remembered being shot, the days following, and hating the hospital room. 

Lizzie. Dembe. The Director. The pain grew to encompass his entire body. Never had he felt such pain. 

They were gone. He had never contemplated a world that didn’t hold both Elizabeth Keen and Dembe Zuma. 

He tried to call out. Mr. Kaplan wouldn’t be far away, control freak that she was, but to no avail, his throat was on fire.

Water. There, next to his bedside was a table with a bottle of water and a box of tissues on it.

He had a feeling he would need the tissues more than the water. 

After a drink, he called for Mr. Kaplan, but didn’t quite get her name out before she walked into the bedroom. 

“Before you ask-they are fine… we think. As far as we can tell, Dembe arranged to have two planes depart around the same time. One of them was shot down. However, the alarm system in a safe house in Ecuador was deactivated. No incorrect codes. It’s only been a few minute since then. We should give them time to make contact before jumping to conclusions.”

His eyes closed in relief, in regret at his uselessness.

“How long have I been out?” 

“A little over 6 hours. I gave you enough to half kill a horse. I was hoping for more time. More answers. I dislike my ignorance of the situation.”

He had hope. Hope that Lizzie and Dembe were alive and well. One more week and come hell or high water, he would be on a plane to Ecuador.

Tbc…


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dembe and Elizabeth bond. A phone call is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! You guys are the best!
> 
> Disclaimed, as usual.

Liz and Dembe landed on the outskirts of Puerto Lopez, a small beach town in Ecuador. They landed on a bumpy, dilapidated airstrip in the middle of nowhere. 

The plane was already taking off before Liz could do anything but look at the lush landscape around them. Everything was so green. 

The ocean wasn’t far off. She could smell the salt in the air. 

Dembe carried all three duffels to a waiting Land Rover before she could even voice a desire to help. 

Ok, so they were still in running mode. She sighed and climbed in the vehicle.

*****

Their accommodations were amazing. As Dembe pulled up to the mansion on the beach she teased “So we are keeping a low profile, yeah?”

She felt heartened that Dembe actually cracked a smile. It couldn’t all be doom and gloom if he could smile.

She honestly didn’t see what all of the fuss was about. 

Sure she might lose her job, but she was protecting a vital asset. She doubted that any criminal charges would actually stick. 

Just thinking about how close Red came to death made her quake, with rage, with fear.

 

Although she wasn’t dumb enough to believe that no one would be after her, she did think that leaving the country was a bit much. 

When had Red ever been reasonable when it came to her protection?

She wished she could be with him. Who was to say that there wouldn’t be another attempt on his life?

She needed to be there for him. She owed him.

He had protected her many times, he deserved no less devotion from her.

 

She wasn’t sure when she stopped hating him. All she knew was that when the hate stopped, the doubts started. She had thought for so long that he was using her. 

She hated the thought of being a tool in Red’s personal global turf war, but not as much as she hated the fact that she no longer could make herself loath him.

She had a grudging respect for his superior expertise on almost every subject. He was a tactical genius, there was no denying that. 

The man behind the façade was where her interest was focused.

The fulcrum was in his hands, yet he still treated her as if she were vital to his end game.

During his stay in the hospital, she spent every spare moment she could with him, the man. 

It was a wondrous experience. He was even more enigmatic behind the mask, if that even made sense.

She was caught, ensnared in a trap of her own making. In love with number four on the FBI’s most wanted list.

But she’d be damned if she told him. Not yet, at least.

*****

Dembe took their bags upstairs, down an expansive hallway covered in beautiful artwork, to a suite of rooms that would be her home for the foreseeable future.

She had settled in and was to meet Dembe in the dining room for a meal. 

Her duffel bag was full of clothes for her. They were her size. Beautiful, expensive clothes that someone had painstakingly chose to fit her body and coloring perfectly.

This plan was a long time in the making. 

*****

It took her longer than necessary to reach the dining room. This house was a showpiece, for sure. So very beautiful, but comforting and homey at the same time. 

Overstuffed furniture, books and art could be found throughout the house. No hard lines of contemporary decorating or uncomfortable furniture in sight. 

This house had Raymond Reddington written all over it. Her outlook over this entire situation had Raymond Reddington written on it as well, if she was being honest with herself. 

She knows that she’s changed. That’s more than fine. If she has learned anything in the past year and a half it’s that those that adapt, survive. 

Like Red, she plans on being around for the sequel. One where they can finally wade through all the bullshit and just be together.

She’s finally ready.

 

Dembe was waiting, not yet seated, just gazing out the floor to ceiling windows at the ocean in the distance. The view was spectacular. 

“Agent Keen, before we eat, I wanted to contact Mr. Kaplan, but waited for you because I know that if he’s awake, he will be anxious to speak to you.”

Tears sprang into her eyes. “Thank you Dembe, for being so thoughtful. Also, just call me Liz please, Agent Keen is in the past, I think.” 

“Liz, then” he said with a small smile. She could tell he was anxious, ready to make the call.

 

There was a settee at the far end of the dining room, flanked by tall tropical trees. Dembe stood by while the phone was dialing. 

Liz just sat, knees up to her chin with her head resting on them, and tried to calm her breathing. 

She knew the second she heard his voice, she would probably break down. 

Mr. Kaplan must have answered because Dembe stated “We are fine. You know where. Is he ok? Tell me about security on your end.”

Dembe closed his eyes and exhaled in relief. He opened them and nodded to her.

Red was fine. She couldn’t help the tears that ran silently down her face. 

He tensed and switched to another language, speaking urgently. 

So happy that Red was well enough to talk, and try to boss Dembe around from a continent away, Liz let out a laugh that was actually a sob.

Dembe paused, spoke quietly to Red, and then handed her the phone.

She held the phone up to her ear, saying nothing. 

“Lizzie.” His voice was low and strong, while hers was a broken mess. 

“Red.” 

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, no, I don’t know. I’m not hurt, if that’s what you mean. Dembe has been shooting first and foregoing the questions at all, so there’s that going for me.”

Her attempt at levity did not deter him from his questioning.

“Lizzie, sweetheart, you’re crying. What’s the matter?”

“I’m fine. Just…you’re on the phone and I wish I could be with you and I am so damn happy that you are ok and I can’t believe that I am in Ecuador and I know that I am rambling,   
but I don’t even care, I just want to talk to you.”

“Oh, Lizzie, I am so very happy to hear that.”

He told her of his plans and what was going on with them there. He reassured her that he had been moved by Mr. Kaplan and her very competent team away from the hospital. 

Her shuddering breaths played background for his long explanation until he reached the end and said “-I’ll be there with you within a week-“

“Wait. What?! You can’t get on a plane, you nearly died. Your lung is compromised, the cabin pressure could damage it beyond repair. You will not come here until you receive a clean bill of health.”

“As much as I adore your concern for my well-being, I don’t require a lecture on safe travelling, and you can lower your voice at any time. My ears are just fine. I’m not that old yet.”

“I apologize if me caring for you is a problem, but at this point, it can’t be helped, so too bad.”

Nothing could be heard from the other end. 

He was either shocked or measuring his words. 

Neither of those options bode well for her. 

”Lizzie, I-“

“Listen Red, I need to go, here’s Dembe.”

With that, she practically threw the phone at Dembe and left the room, tears silently tracking down her cheeks.

Tbc…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for taking the time to read, let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red and Liz reunite-finally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being so slow updating! Thank you so much for being so wonderfully kind with your reviews. It means so much to me to read them. Just know, that I cherish them! You guys are amazing and I love our ship!  
> This chapter is lots of introspection, but the reunion is upon us! Next chapter may get bumped up to M, what do you think? I can try to clean it up and make it teen if you guys want to keep it ‘T’ rated.   
> Disclaimed, as usual.

**Chapter 6**

Raymond Reddington knew he loved Elizabeth Keen.

However, he also knew that he was a dead man. It may not be today or tomorrow, but he was vitally aware that his days were numbered.

Working on the Blacklist was a means of leaving the world a little better off than it was when he started on his hellish journey two and a half decades ago.

All he could think to himself was- _Should I encourage her to care for a dead man?_

The answer was unequivocally no.

He knew he could think that way now, when Lizzie was thousands of miles away, but he would inevitably falter in her presence. He knew that as soon as he looked into her eyes, he would forget that he wanted to spare her.

She deserved a good man. Someone who could be there for her.

Not someone so selfish as to overlook her needs and merely provide temporary companionship.

The facts were undeniable.

He was not a good man. He had never been very good at doing things he should, rather than shouldn’t do.

He was going to burn in hell for just thinking of her, let alone thinking of the decadent things he wanted to do to her.

She was goodness and light, he was shadows and doom.

*****

Every day, he called and spoke with Dembe. Elizabeth had not volunteered to speak with him again.

He was fine with that. He knew he hurt her and what he had to say was not a conversation to have over the phone.

He’s always preferred face to face communications. He could get a better read on her that way.

He hated convalescence. Always had, always will. Mr. Kaplan did allow him to take business calls, but only because she knew it wouldn’t do for anyone to know that he was not 100%.

There was light at the end of the tunnel. Tomorrow was the day.

By this time tomorrow, he would be with Lizzie and once he kissed her, hopefully they wouldn’t come up for air for quite some time.

He knew he wasn’t yet at full capacity, but to even hold her for however long she let him would be glorious.

He couldn’t wait to tell her that he cared for her too.

*****

This is it. Today. It was all Lizzie could think about. She could barely eat, watched the clocks incessantly, and could barely hold a conversation.

Dembe wasn’t exactly a chatty Cathy, but he had given up trying to get more than a couple of words out of her at a time.

After she sighed for what was probably the hundredth time, Dembe took pity on her and asked if she would like to leave early and wait at the airstrip.

She leapt out of her seat and was heading for the door before Dembe could finish his sentence.

His chuckles followed her to the car.

*****

Mr. Kaplan was going to shoot him. He was certain that if she didn’t take such pride in her work of patching him up and caring for him, he would be dead.

He knew he was being a cantankerous shit. He excelled at it, in fact, even when he wasn’t trying.

In this case, asking if they were going to land on time and if Dembe knew to pick them up one more time, his nervous chattering was going to earn him a bullet.

He didn’t doubt he was annoying, he just couldn’t help it.

He was dressed in his cream suit that Lizzie loved so much. He didn’t miss the way her eyes had wandered or her nostrils had flared the last time he wore this color.

He wasn’t a vain man by any means, but he knew the signs of attraction.

He still had to wear a sling on his right arm to keep it immobilized, but Mr. Kaplan would hear nothing of letting him forgo its use for this trip.

“Raymond. We are ahead of schedule. It won’t be but a few more minutes. I sure hope that you two kiss and make up. You’ve been an insufferable bastard the entire week.”

Giddy with the knowledge that he would see his Lizzie soon, his head fell back with a booming laugh.

“I hope so too, Kate. I hope so too.”

*****

Lizzie couldn’t wait. Her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. She didn’t know what she was going to say to him when she saw him. Probably yell at him for being stubborn and flying so soon.

She might even smack the self-satisfied grin right off his face.

The jet had just stopped near the hangar where they waited, but Liz didn’t wait for the door to even open before she jumped out of the car.

She would have ran up to the plane, but Dembe held her back.

She glared back at him, but acquiesced. He was in charge of protecting her after all. The least she could do is stop acting like a child.

Two of Mr. Kaplan’s team members stepped out of the plane and stood sentry at the bottom of the stairs.

Her breath held until she saw him.

She never even felt herself move. Dembe must’ve realized the futility of holding her back any longer, because she met no further resistance on his part.

He was smiling and looked so damned good. His suit. _His suit, Jesus._

How can a man that almost died two weeks ago look so amazing?

Tears were running down her cheeks and by the time he got to the bottom of the stairs, she was in his arms.

Her lips fused to his as if her life depended on his taste.

If he was at all surprised, he never showed it.

He grunted at her impact against him, but wrapped his left arm around her, fisted the hair at the nape her neck.

Their mouths clashed in a meeting of tongues, teeth, and a desperation that was reflected in how tight they held each other.

Her hands were running up and down his head, neck, and back.

She needed that tangible proof that he was here and this was real, that it wasn’t another one of her dreams that left her panting, covered in a sheen of sweat.

The entire world could have went down in flames for all she cared.

All she was aware of was the fire that they created with just one kiss.

 

Tbc...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for taking the time to read and review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red and Lizzie talk about the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Disclaimed,, as usual.

Their kiss continued on and on, they were oblivious to everyone and everything around them. Until the past weeks came crashing over Liz and she pulled away as far as Red would allow, which wasn’t much.

“Oh my god, Red, I’m so sorry! I didn’t think about your wound. I could have hurt you more-“

Red’s interruption was so low, she felt the rumble of his words reverberate through her body as he held her close.

“Lizzie, shut up and kiss me again.”

She smiled up at him, he looked so good, so very alive and that in itself was the most beautiful thing she could imagine.

Mindful of his injuries, Liz kissed him softer this time, framing his face with her hands.

This time, he was the one to pull away.

“Now, I am not one to mess with perfection, but you don’t have to be _that_ gentle. I won’t break, sweetheart. I’ve traveled over thousands of miles and two continents to be with you. If I was going to be in pain, it would have been when we encountered that god awful turbulence over the Gulf.”

She blushed at his compliment. She was ecstatic that she didn’t ruin their first real kiss with her emotional display.

“Red, we need to get going. You will love the safe house. It’s huge and ostentatious, just how you like things.” She said with a wink, holding his hand and turning towards the car where Dembe was waiting.

He whispered in her ear “I’ll show you something huge and ostentatious.”

Her face went hot “Jesus Red, you need to behave.”

“Never, Lizzie.”

“Hello Raymond. I am glad to see you recovering nicely. Much faster than that time in Bali.”

Red’s laughter echoed across the airstrip.

“Oh, Bali! Dembe, I am telling you that I would have recuperated much sooner had you let my nurses remain topless. You kicked them out and left me with that old hag. I had to beg her to cover up or tuck them into her skirt. I would have been happy either way.”

They were so hilarious with their bickering that Liz couldn’t help but join in their laughter.

 

******

Back at the safe house, Liz tried to talk Red into sharing a snack with her on the veranda and then taking a nap.

He was shot so recently, she was afraid that he was going to overdo himself and end up worse off than he was before he came to Ecuador.

“Lizzie, I don’t need to rest, but I would like to speak with you alone. I have something to tell you and I prefer to not have an audience.”

He sounded so serious, so grave that she immediately worried that he was going to tell her something horrible, like someone on the team had dies, or he was going to have to leave her here, or-

“Lizzie, you have been relaxing on this beautiful property for a week and you haven’t yet managed to drop that tightly wound stress? We will definitely be taking care of that while we are here. Calm down. You have no cause for concern. At least no more than I do.”

The veranda and gardens were spectacular. Whomever was being paid to be the groundskeeper, they were extraordinarily talented.

She took a seat, waited for him to either sit across or beside her, and stared out at the grounds. The lush greenery and bubbling fountains providing an excuse to not make eye contact with Red.

He sat beside her. At the edge of his seat, angled towards her. One shift and she could be in his lap.

Her shuddering breath had nothing to do with trepidation and everything to do with the need clawing inside of her.

Hopefully he just thought she was very nervous.

“Lizzie, look at me. I need to tell you something that I should have told you long ago. I think that many of our problems could have been prevented had I told you sooner. The truth is though, I am a coward. This bell can never be un-rung.”

Finally meeting his eyes, she could see he was worried, but he wore a small smile that gave her hope that maybe everything would be alright.

“I know I upset you on the phone. Don’t look away. I want to apologize for that, and for letting you think for a second that I don’t care for you more than anything else in the world. I love you to the point of distraction. You are my very first thought when I wake, and what I think of as I close my eyes to rest. It’s not logical and I should want something better for you than myself, be a better man-“

In the work of a moment, she was straddling his legs. Her hand over his mouth to keep him from speaking such non-sense.

“Raymond Reddington, there is no better man alive. When you love someone, you take the good with the bad. I love you so much, I just wish those three words conveyed how much I truly care for you, but even they sound trivial in comparison to what I feel when I am with you.”

She removed her hand, waiting for his reaction.

He was so still, staring at her in awe. A singer tear fell down his cheek when he blinked, but his smile was joyous.

“Lizzie, I love how you think too much, you feel too much, and especially how you have given me hope. Something that once died inside of me. Hope that I can have everything I’ve always wanted with you.”

This was an opening she had been waiting for, anticipating.

“I know that it’s much too soon with so much unsolved right now, but it’s something I feel strongly about.” She took a deep breath and continued “I want to have a baby. Your baby, to be exact. If that freaks you out, I need to know. I need to know if kids are off the table totally, or if you just don’t want us to have a biological child, then maybe adopting…”

Her chatter died off as she felt his muscles increasingly tighten as she went on.

“Sweetheart, there is nothing that I would love more than to see you pregnant with our baby. The very thought of it is…intoxicating” he closed his eyes and she immediately felt his arousal thickening through his pants.

Expecting rejection, his acceptance and outright arousal shocked her nearly senseless.

“You want a baby?? With me??”

“Well, Dembe would do anything for me, but I hardly believe that he has the proper equipment, plus the in-vitro would be difficult and what if we ended up with 8 babies. Octo-mom is back up on the pole and that’s definitely not where I see myself in 5 years.”

She could barely speak through her laughter.

“Ohmygod Red, shut up. I am serious.”

His one eyebrow shot up.

“And you think I’m not serious? In 5 years, I most definitely plan on being surrounded with at least two miniature Lizzies.”

She drew in a rough breath. “That soon? What about the danger?”

“Well I’m certainly not getting any younger, but what is the use of having more money than god if I can’t utilize it to make us drop off the face of the earth and spend the rest of our lives deliriously happy? I won’t lie to you though. Security will be tight, wherever we end up. Our trials are by no means over.”

She leaned into his body, avoiding his right side. She ended up with her head over his heart, listening to the solid beat thrum beneath her.

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie disappears forever. Liz tells Red the good news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being so amazing and reading this through.  
> Disclaimed, as always.

Their exit strategy took time to plan. Ecuador would be their resting place for now, but that isn’t where they would ultimately end up, according to Red.

He spent the majority of his days on the phone or in meetings. Some days, he would fly to Bogota in the neighboring Columbia for the day to conduct his business with his associates.

He wanted nothing to touch their safe haven so he kept his business far removed from her location.

Mr. Kaplan came to draw her blood, one pint every three days. They hadn’t specifically talked about what Red’s endgame was, but she had a pretty good idea.

When he came home for the day, talking was the last thing on their minds.

Poor Red had to be exhausted. She was and she lazed around sunbathing, reading, or working out in the home gym all day. She had no empire to run, authorities to dodge.

The FBI was looking for him, she knew that. He was implicated in her disappearance as suspect number one.

He laughed at her concerns. “Sweetheart, what is the FBI going to do, put me on their ‘Most Wanted’ list? Been there, done that, would have a t-shirt but they were all too tacky.”

He mostly kissed her concerns away. He was good at that.

Kisses always led to making love and Liz didn’t think she would ever tire of that. He was…magnificent.

There was something to be said about being with an older man. He was not too hurried or consumed with his own pleasure, he had no urge to prove how masculine he was. He knew he was skilled. The way he used those skills though… _damn._ She had to think of something else, he wouldn’t be home for hours yet.

 

*****

Raymond Reddington could honestly say that other than some twinges of pain in his chest every once in a while, he had never been happier.

Lizzie was a dream, more than he could ever ask for.

He had toiled tirelessly to create a perfect and safe world for them to spend the rest of their lives without worry.

There was just one last task- Lizzie’s death.

He hated even thinking about it, but the stage was set and they would have to fly together to Kuwait in order to set the stage.

The flight was uneventful, with Liz cuddling up to him and napping while he read a few newspapers.

Their business wouldn’t take long, Lizzie just had to leave as much physical evidence in the apartment he had rented anonymously as possible.

All they had to do was stage the apartment. They packed many of her clothes, toiletries and superficial belongings to take with them.

Everyone wore gloves but Lizzie, who needed to touch as much as possible. Use the bathroom. Brush her teeth in the bathroom,

Various clothing items that she had work were tossed in a laundry basket.

She laid in the bed and rolled around, planted a few hairs by the pillows. Touched every dish in the kitchen.

Her finger prints and epithelial cells were planted everywhere.

The worked quietly, but quickly. When they were finished and leaving, Lizzie surveyed their work and whispered “So this is where I die. Anonymous and alone.”

She sounded sad, but it was normal. This was the end of a large chapter in her life. He just hoped that she wouldn’t regret her decision.

He would spend the rest of his life making sure that didn’t happen.

*****

They had been in Ecuador for two more months following Kuwait, her death was investigated, but it was closed when a man confessed to her murder in a suicide note. Authorities had no evidence to refute it. The fact that the man in question was Tom Connelly was all the rage in recent months.

The investigation into rampant government corruption was ongoing. Red’s immunity agreement was considered covered in full.

No one had any doubts that he mourned the loss of Agent Elizabeth Keen when he was pictured at her gravesite, a tear rolling down his cheek.

He was still out of town, tying off loose ends, when she made a request of Mr. Kaplan that would shock the woman speechless.

*****

She had an evening all planned. A private dinner. Dancing under the stars.

It was perfect.

“Lizzie, you are so tense. Why the nervousness? Is something wrong?”

He was holding her in his arms, swaying to Louie Armstrong.

She pulled away just far enough to look into his eyes.

“I love you. I know we talked about a family…”

Her words died off and Red couldn’t stand the silence, so he filled it with “If you aren’t ready, it is absolutely ok. I don’t know what I was thinking. I just want you to be happy. I love you beyond reason, beyond logic. That is my only excuse.”

She laughed, then. He made her so deliriously happy with his ramblings. Who would have thought that anything would make Raymond Reddington nervous?

“No, no. I do want a family and I know you said you wanted one soon. I just wanted to tell you that you were successful in your…vigorous endeavors to impregnate me.”

Nothing. She imagined if this were a move, there’d be crickets in the background.

Then a whispered “Really?” Then a louder “REALLY?” His smile was so huge, she thought his face had to hurt from the strain.

She was swept into his arms, kissed with a passion that conveyed every single feeling that he couldn’t voice.

He broke off their kiss suddenly, dropping to his knees in front of her. “Red, what are you do-“

He hugged her so tightly, she could barely breathe, let alone speak. His face was hugged against her lower stomach, where their child rested.

She held him, softly caressing the back of his head and neck. He was too wonderful for words, really.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low and broken from the tears she could feel seeping through her shirt.

“I’m sorry to get so emotional. You have given me more than I could have ever hoped and dreamed for. I will love you and our children with every breath until the day I die. I am sorry if this wasn’t how you imagined I’d react.”

She was a crying mess by the time he finished. She sank to her knees in front of him, wordlessly pledging her devotion to him as well.

“No, you have nothing to apologize for. You are amazing…This was perfect.”

 

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for being so awesome and sticking with this! You guys are amazing!

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think:) Thank you so much for taking the time to read!


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